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April 4, 2013
The Economist: Expect major growth, competition for retail clinics, urgent care and telehealth

Retail-based health clinics, urgent care clinics, telehealth and traditional physicians may be increasingly competing to serve the healthcare needs of Americans but the real winner is the patient, suggests a recent article in The Economist.

NEW YORK — Retail-based health clinics, urgent care clinics, telehealth and traditional physicians may be increasingly competing to serve the healthcare needs of Americans but the real winner is the patient, suggests a recent article in The Economist.

March 1, 2013
Rite Aid expands NowClinic telehealth service to additional markets

Rite Aid has expanded its telemedicine service to 58 more stores, the retail pharmacy chain said Friday.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid has expanded its telemedicine service to 58 more stores, the retail pharmacy chain said Friday.

Rite Aid said the NowClinic Online Care service were available at stores in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The service gives customers access to care, via a secure online video connection, from OptumHealth doctors and nurses. The company originally unveiled the program at nine stores in Detroit in 2011.

March 1, 2013
Telehealth provides another way for retail pharmacies to provide clinical services

Rite Aid announced Friday that it had expanded its "virtual clinic" model to additional markets, now offering NowClinic Online Care service in 58 stores.

Retail clinics are an area in which Rite Aid has not invested to the same degree as Walgreens and CVS, but NowClinic shows that there are more ways to offer clinical services in a retail pharmacy setting than building an actual clinic. In 2011, Rite Aid became the first to provide such virtual clinics in a retail pharmacy setting when it launched the program as a pilot in nine stores in Detroit.

Rite Aid announced Friday that it had expanded its "virtual clinic" model to additional markets, now offering NowClinic Online Care service in 58 stores.

Retail clinics are an area in which Rite Aid has not invested to the same degree as Walgreens and CVS, but NowClinic shows that there are more ways to offer clinical services in a retail pharmacy setting than building an extra clinic. In 2011, Rite Aid became the first to provide such virtual clinics in a retail pharmacy setting when it launched the program as a pilot in nine stores in Detroit.

January 8, 2013
Telemedicine trend gets a boost in Congress

Widespread reliance on telemedicine to electronically deliver health and pharmacy services to hard-to-reach patients in remote locations is getting closer to reality. And in a fast-evolving health care system struggling to improve access to health services at a lower overall cost, that’s a good thing.

Widespread reliance on telemedicine to electronically deliver health and pharmacy services to hard-to-reach patients in remote locations is getting closer to reality. And in a fast-evolving health care system struggling to improve access to health services at a lower overall cost, that’s a good thing.

The potential breakthrough for remote-site dispensing and health counseling came in the U.S. House of Representatives. California Democrat Mike Thompson is sponsoring legislation that would eliminate barriers to telemedicine services for all federal health programs.

January 4, 2013
Bill would advance telemedicine

New legislation aims to increase access to telemedicine services through government-sponsored health programs.

WASHINGTON — New legislation aims to increase access to telemedicine services through government-sponsored health programs.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., recently introduced H.R. 6719, the Telehealth Promotion Act of 2012, which would establish that "no [medical] benefit covered shall be excluded solely because it is furnished via a telecommunications system," allowing greater access to telemedicine services through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Tricare, Department of Veterans Affairs and federal employee health plans.

December 13, 2012
ATA partners with minority caucuses to advance telemedicine legislation at the state level

The American Telemedicine Association, the leading nonprofit membership organization for remote medical services, is working with three minority legislative caucuses to educate lawmakers and introduce model legislation for telehealth in statehouses around the country.

WASHINGTON — The American Telemedicine Association, the leading nonprofit membership organization for remote medical services, is working with three minority legislative caucuses to educate lawmakers and introduce model legislation for telehealth in statehouses around the country. ATA has formed partnerships with the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL), the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) with the goal of maximizing state-government support of telemedicine.

December 12, 2012
Survey indicates growing importance of mobile health apps

More than 10% of Americans consider Web-enabled, mobile health apps a part of their health care and key to living long lives, according to a new survey by a division of electronics manufacturer Philips.

ANDOVER, Mass. — More than 10% of Americans consider Web-enabled, mobile health apps a part of their health care and key to living long lives, according to a new survey by a division of electronics manufacturer Philips.

Royal Philips Electronics commissioned Opinion Research to conduct a survey of 1,003 adults, finding that 11% said that were it not for Web-based health information, they might already be "dead or severely incapacitated."

November 29, 2012
Telemedicine, mhealth apps gain ground

New applications based on advances in telemedicine and mobile health technology are proliferating as pharmacy providers, physicians and health plans find new ways to connect with patients who are homebound or in remote locations. The result is to extend access to care, improve convenience and lower health delivery costs.


New applications based on advances in telemedicine and mobile health technology are proliferating as pharmacy providers, physicians and health plans find new ways to connect with patients who are homebound or in remote locations. The result is to extend access to care, improve convenience and lower health delivery costs.


October 19, 2012
Telemedicine sees flurry of activity, expect to see more

It was a busy week for telemedicine-based news, particularly if you count health kiosks — DSN sure does.

On the heels of news that Take Care Health Systems has collaborated to make telehealth services available to thousands of BCBSNC employees located throughout North Carolina via a service called called OnlineCareNC, Solohealth and PharmaSmart also made headlines during the week with major announcements..

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — It was a busy week for telemedicine-based news, particularly if you count health kiosks — DSN sure does.

(THE NEWS: Take Care Health Systems develops telehealth offering for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. For the full story, click here.)

October 9, 2012
Telemedicine helps participants track health behaviors

On the horizon of diabetes offerings at retail is telemedicine — a concept that may come sooner than later thanks to the rapid adoption of smartphones by consumers.

On the horizon of diabetes offerings at retail is telemedicine — a concept that may come sooner than later thanks to the rapid adoption of smartphones by consumers. In March 2012, researchers from the Stanford Prevention Research Center reported that smartphone applications can raise awareness and motivate older adults to improve their health. After eight weeks, 80% of participants reported increased awareness regarding a targeted health behavior (increased walking, decreased sitting time, improved diet), and three-quarters said the apps helped track the behavior.

September 19, 2012
GMDC facilitates virtual conference meetings at trade show event

GMDC will feature its connectivity tool, GMDC*Connect Powered by Telepresence, to help facilitate more top-to-top meetings with on-site attendees and executives with tight travel schedules at its 2012 HBW Conference, which kicks off Sept. 21 in San Antonio, Texas.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — GMDC will feature its connectivity tool, GMDC*Connect Powered by Telepresence, to help facilitate more top-to-top meetings with on-site attendees and executives with tight travel schedules at its 2012 HBW Conference, which kicks off Sept. 21 in San Antonio, Texas.

GMDC will be piloting these virtual appointments, which first were introduced earlier this summer at the 2012 General Merchandise Conference.

August 30, 2012
NextGen, Nipro Diagnostics create telemedicine capability monitoring diabetes patients

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems on Wednesday announced a telemedicine agreement with Nipro Diagnostics that would enable users of the company's NextGen Ambulatory EHR instant access to data points captured by patients at home who are using the Nipro TrueResult blood-glucose monitoring system.

HORSHAM, Pa. — NextGen Healthcare Information Systems on Wednesday announced a telemedicine agreement with Nipro Diagnostics that would enable users of the company's NextGen Ambulatory EHR instant access to data points captured by patients at home who are using the Nipro TrueResult blood-glucose monitoring system.